


All I Want (is nothing more than to hear you knocking at my door)

by komhmagnus



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, edom isn't a fun place kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-12 22:40:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12969945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komhmagnus/pseuds/komhmagnus
Summary: Alec is kidnapped and taken to Edom by Azazel.  Magnus must go after him and save his boyfriend from the wrath of his father.





	All I Want (is nothing more than to hear you knocking at my door)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NatLannister](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatLannister/gifts).



> Merry Christmas! Hopefully everyone is surviving the hiatus :)  
> Title is from All I Want by Kodaline.  
> on tumblr and twitter @komhmagnus

            The morning started slow, with drowsy kisses and contentment under warm sheets.  Alec had woken first, staring at Magnus as he slept.  He watched as the golden light creeped in through the windows and caught on the tips of Magnus’s eyelashes and hair wild with sleep.  Alec thought he could watch Magnus sleeping for the rest of time.  His face was so at peace.  For those precious moments, he was free of the stress of war and the tension of warlock politics.  Watching him sleep, Alec thought it was hard to tell the man before him was one of, if not the most, powerful warlocks alive.  Impossible to think that he was a prince of hell.  But he was all those things and more.

            Magnus woke to strong arms pulling him closer and feather light kisses being pressed into his neck and chest.  He hummed in contentment, more than happy to stay like that for several hours.  He felt Alec pull away slightly and finally his eyes fluttered open, finding Alec’s hazel eyes staring at him.

            “It’s rude to stare,” Magnus whispered, earning him a chuckle that made his heart warm.  Alec leaned forward again, molding himself to Magnus.

            “Good morning,” Alec rasped against his throat.  Magnus hummed again in response.

            “Morning, love,” he said, pressing a kiss to Alec’s forehead.  “It’s late,” he said after a moment.  His eyes had caught the alarm clock on Alec’s nightstand.  It was almost 10:30, surely Alec should have been at the Institute by now.

            “There aren’t any meetings today, so barring any emergencies, I can go in whenever I want.”

            Magnus hummed.  “So does that mean you’re all mine today?”

            “If you’ll have me,” Alec said with a kiss to Magnus’s neck.  He pulled back slightly.  “Unless you’re busy today.  I didn’t even think to ask if you have any clients,” he said, starting to ramble.

            Magnus surged forward and kissed his shadowhunter.  “I do not have any clients today and that sounds absolutely heavenly, Alexander.”

            Alec smiled and Magnus’s breath caught in his throat.  Alec was always beautiful, but with his hair messed up from sleep and a slight blush coloring his neck and face, Magnus couldn’t help but stare in awe.  In 17,000 loves, no one had ever taken his breath away the way Alec did.  No one had ever made him feel the way Alec did.

            “You know, someone told me it’s very rude to stare.”  Alec smirked at him, but the blush had only grown a deeper shade of red. 

Magnus grinned.  “Who cares for proper social conventions anyways?”

“Exactly.  If my boyfriend is the most beautiful person on the planet, I should be allowed to stare at him if I want,” Alec said, pulling Magnus closer.  He smiled as a blush rose in Magnus’s cheeks.  It thrilled him that he was able to do that to the centuries old warlock, that he could make him blush.

“I’m sorry, darling,” Magnus whispered, teasing.  “You seem to be mistaken.”

“About what?”

“I have to argue that _my_ boyfriend is the most beautiful person on the planet,” he said with a wink.

            Alec leaned forward and kissed Magnus.  “I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree,” he said against his lips.

            Magnus laughed, smiling into the kiss.  “I love you,” he whispered, not wanting to disrupt the moment.

            “I love you, too.”  They stayed that way for a while, kissing in bed and holding each other, whispering so as not to disrupt the quiet morning.

            “We should get up,” Magnus said.  “It’s going to be lunchtime soon.”

            “Noooo,” Alec groaned.  He buried his face into Magnus’s neck, closing his eyes against the prospect of having to get out bed.

            Magnus chuckled.  “Well, I for one, would like to take a shower.”  Gently he extracted himself from Alec’s grip and pulled himself out of bed.

            Alec groaned.  “No, come back.”  He glared when Magnus laughed.  “I was only using you for your warmth anyways.”

            “Sure, darling,” Magnus said, laughing again, harder this time.  “You know, if it’s warmth you’re worried about, a shower would certainly keep you warm.  And you’re always welcome to join me.”  Magnus winked and disappeared into the bathroom.

            The sound of water pouring from the showerhead was all the motivation Alec needed.  He licked his lips and practically flung himself off the bed to follow Magnus into the bathroom.  Magnus was already in the shower.  Alec could just make out his outline against the shower curtain.  He pulled off his boxers and stepped into the shower, arms sliding around Magnus’s waist.

            “You’re so beautiful,” Alec whispered against his neck.

            Magnus turned so he was facing Alec and slid his arms around his neck.  “Careful darling, you’re going to make me blush.”

            Alec breathed a laugh.  “Shut up and kiss me.”

            “I thought you’d never ask.”

***

            The shower lasted far longer than either of them had intended.  Almost a full hour passed before they finally stepped out and dressed.  Alec pulled on a pair of old sweatpants and a black t-shirt and disappeared into the kitchen while Magnus did his makeup.

            Magnus emerged from the bedroom to the smell of coffee and bacon.  He smiled, watching as Alec flipped pancakes at the stove.

            “When did you become so domestic, Alexander?” he asked, teasing.

            “Can’t a guy make breakfast for his boyfriend if he wants to?” Alec replied without turning around.

            “Oh, trust me, darling, I’m not complaining.”

            Alec turned off the stove and turned to face Magnus.  “Here,” he said, passing him a cup of coffee.

            “Thank you, love,” Magnus said, leaning in to kiss Alec’s now pink cheek.  It warmed his heart watching his Shadowhunter blush whenever he called him pet names.

            “So,” Alec began as they sat down to eat.  “What do you want to today?”

            “I don’t know, darling.  I’m quite content to carry on what we’ve already been doing,” Magnus answered with a wink.

            “Well, I can’t say I’m opposed to that,” Alec answered with a laugh that made Magnus’s heart jump.

            Magnus leaned forwards and kissed Alec gently.  He tasted of coffee and the sugary syrup they’d drenched their pancakes with.

            Alec pulled away with a smile.  “Breakfast is going to get cold.”

            Magnus groaned as he leaned back into his own seat.  “That would be a sin.  This food is heavenly, Alexander.”

            Alec blushed, his cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink.  “By ‘heavenly’ do you mean ‘at least Izzy didn’t make them?’”  A smile lit up his face as Magnus laughed.

            “Give yourself some credit, Shadowhunter.”

            Once they had finished eating, Alec stood and grabbed all the plates from the table and carried them to the sink.

            “You know I have magic for that, darling,” Magnus said, coming to stand next to him as Alec turned the water on.  Alec gave him a pointed look and Magnus sighed.  “Oh, alright.”  He pressed a kiss onto Alec’s shoulder as he moved to grab a towel.  They worked in silence, Alec washing the dishes and Magnus drying them.

            Magnus threw down his towel triumphantly when all the dishes had been put away.  “Finally, the enemy has been vanquished,” he said dramatically.

            Alec rolled his eyes.  “I think you’ve been spending too much time with Simon.  You’re turning into a nerd.”

            “Darling, I was a nerd long before Sheldon was conceived.”

            Alec blanched.  “Please, I do not need the thought of Simon’s conception in my mind.”

            Magnus’s laugh was interrupted by the sound of Alec’s phone ringing in the bedroom.  He sighed and Alec gave him a quick peck before he disappeared down the hall.

            “Hey, Jace.”  Magnus sighed again.  There goes the precious day of calm and quiet they’d been so ardently enjoying.

            “Are you absolutely sure no one else can handle this?”  Magnus smiled, hearing his love trying to fight as the real world came crashing back into their lives.

            “Alright, alright.  I’ll meet you there.  Give me like twenty minutes,” Alec said as he came back into the kitchen.  “Okay.  See you there.  Don’t do anything stupid before I get there.”  Alec ended the call and met Magnus’s eyes with a forlorn look.

            Magnus smiled softly at him.  “I take it you have to go save the world?”

            Alec sighed and ran his hand through his hair, leaving it more disheveled than it already had been and leaving Magnus breathless for a second.  “Jace said they picked up a lot of demonic activity in Queens.  Looks like it might be a nest.”  He sighed again.  “He said everyone else who isn’t still in training is already out on missions or he wouldn’t have called,” he added with an apologetic smile.

            “I understand, Alexander.  Go do your thing, save the world,” Magnus said stepping closer and looping his arms around Alec’s neck.

            “I have to go and change into my gear, but I really just want to kiss you right now,” Alec breathed.

            Magnus smirked.  “I can solve that problem, darling.”  He stepped back for a moment and flicked his wrist, and suddenly Alec was dressed in his gear.  He grinned.  “There.  Now what was that other thing you wanted to do?” he asked, returning to his boyfriend’s waiting arms.

            “This,” Alec said, his lips already against Magnus’s.

            The kiss was slow, languid.  It was as though they were trying to prolong the moment before Alec would have to leave and do his job.  Alec’s mouth tasted of syrup still, and Magnus thought it was perhaps the best thing he had tasted in his four hundred plus years.

            Alec pulled back with a groan and rested his forehead against Magnus’s.  “I really don’t want to go.”

            “Nor do I want you to go, but I think those demons have different plans,” Magnus answered with a soft smile.

            “I love you,” Alec whispered.

            “I love you, too.  Now go save the world, and please be careful.  Come back to me in one piece,” Magnus whispered back.

            “I will, I promise,” Alec said, leaning in for one more kiss.  Finally he forced himself to pull away from Magnus’s arms and grabbed his bow from where he’d left it by the front door.

            “Bye,” he called as he opened the door.  “Love you.”

            Magnus smiled as he heard the door shut.  He went to his study, deciding to work on some potions Catarina had called to ask for the other day.

***

            The air had a brisk chill to it as Alec walked through the busy New York streets.  Winter had finally settled upon them, with Christmas just around the corner, and all of the mundanes were bustling about to find gifts.  Alec couldn’t help but smile as remembered the gift he’d already purchased for Magnus.  A few weeks ago he’d been walking home from the Institute when he’d seen it in a window of some jewellry shop.  It was a simple silver necklace with a pendant in the shape of an arrow.  He knew it was perfect as soon as he’d seen it, remembering a pair of earrings Magnus had bought that were shaped as arrows.  “They remind me of you,” he’d said at the time, which only made Alec blush and fall ridiculously more in love.  Alec couldn’t wait to give to him.

            His smile faded into a thin line as he approached the alley Jace had said to meet him in.  He surveyed the area as he walked, searching for anything demonic.  Any sign of darkness.  He frowned.  Everything seemed perfectly ordinary:  the mundanes milling about and looking for Christmas presents, the taxis zooming fast on the street, birds chirping like a goddamn fairy tale.

            Alec’s frown deepened as he reached the alley.  It was perfectly empty.  No sign of a single demon, let alone a nest of Raveners, as Jace had mentioned on the phone.  No sign of Jace either.

            Alec pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Jace’s number.  His brow furrowed when Jace’s voicemail picked up.  “Hey, it’s me.  I’m at the address you sent me, but there’s not a single demon here and neither are you, so.  Call me back.”

            Might as well check out the alley, he thought.  He pulled his bow off of his shoulder and knocked an arrow as he moved further into the alley.  He couldn’t see anything that would have indicated a nest of demons on the sensors.  Either Jace had sent him the wrong information or something was very seriously wrong.

            At the end of the alley next to a graffiti-ed dumpster was something that made Alec’s stomach turn to lead.  Jace’s phone lay smashed to bits on the pavement.  He crouched down and stared at the pieces, willing them to somehow tell them what had happened.  It didn’t make sense.  He could feel Jace through the parabatai bond and he could feel that he was okay.  But why was his phone broken in the middle of the alley he’d been supposed to meet Alec in.  Something was definitely very seriously wrong.

            Gravel crunched behind him, as if under a shoe, and Alec whirled around as a smell like ozone filled the alley.  His eyes caught on a dark figure that was slowly approaching, as though the man was stalking prey.  Azazel.  Alec looked around, searching for somewhere to go, but he realized he was cornered.  The alley was a dead end.  He cursed himself.  He should’ve been paying more attention.

            “Well, well, well,” Azazel said, his voice rough.  “Lightwood.  We meet again.”

            He’s like a villain from one of Simon’s comic movies, Alec thought.  “I thought I banished you to hell,” Alec said, aiming his bow.  Azazel took another step forward.  “Stay where you are, or I’ll send you back.”

            “I have unfinished business here, Shadowhunter.  And of course I couldn’t just let your little victory stand.  I have a reputation to uphold, you see.”  Azazel winked and took yet another step forward.

            Alec fired an arrow slightly to the left of the greater demon.  “The next arrow sends you back to hell.”

            Azazel laughed, the sound crisp as the cool air.  “I will admit, you banished me very easily last time.  But that was last time, and I wasn’t exactly expecting a fight.  I’m very much expecting this one.  In fact, I’ve been planning for it.”

            “And why is that, exactly?  You want revenge?”

            Azazel laughed again.  “Partly.”

            Alec frowned.  “What does that even mean?”

            “You see, Shadowhunter, there’s someone who wants to meet you, and I was all too eager to volunteer to deliver you to him.”

            “And who would that be?”

            “Oh, I don’t want to spoil all the fun.  But I will say, you’ve gotten quite close with Magnus Bane.”  Azazel smirked as he mentioned Magnus and Alec felt the sudden urge to rip it off of his face.

            “That has nothing to do with this,” he said through gritted teeth.

            “Oh, but you are wrong.  It has everything to do with this.  After all, don’t you think it’s time to meet your boyfriend’s father?”

            “What are you talking about?”

            “You’ll find out soon enough, boy.”  Azazel surged forward and grabbed the bow, wrestling it from Alec’s hands before he knew what was happening.  Alec spun away from the greater demon and pulled out a seraph blade.  He swung at Azazel, who easily avoided the blade and kicked Alec in the chest, sending him into a brick wall, hard.

            Alec’s vision blurred.  He could see the greater demon approach lazily as his vision faded to black.

***

            Magnus was in his study, engrossed in creating a potion for Catarina.  He was stirring in the last of the ingredients when he heard someone knocking very insistently on the front door.  He stood with a sigh, half-expecting it to be some emergency client.  He swung the door open and blinked in surprise when he saw Jace standing there.

            “Jace?  What are you doing here?”

            “Is Alec here?” Jace asked, ignoring Magnus’s question.  “I have some paperwork he left at the Institute.”

            “No, he isn’t.  He went to meet you for a mission,” Magnus said, his confusion growing by the second.

            “What mission?” Jace asked.  “There was no mission.”  
            Magnus frowned.  “Something about a nest of Ravener demons in Queens.  You called him this morning.”

            Now Jace was frowning, too.  “I lost my phone last night.  I haven’t been able to find it.”

            “But Alec spoke to you on the phone this morning.  I heard him talking to you.”

            “Okay, I don’t know what’s going on, but that definitely was not me on the phone.”

            “Who else could it have--” Magnus started, interrupted by Jace as he grunted and pressed a hand to where his parabatai rune was placed.  Magnus’s heart skipped a beat.  “What’s wrong?” he asked, anxiety seeping into his voice.

            “Something’s...something’s wrong,” Jace said breathily.  Magnus’s breath caught in his throat.  “He’s hurt somehow.  I don’t know.”  Jace was quiet for a moment, as though he too was trying to catch his breath.  His eyes widened.

            “What is it?”  Magnus’s throat was tight with worry and fear.

            “He’s...he’s not dead, but…” Jace trailed off.  Magnus could breathe again, but just slightly.  Relief but not reassurance.

            “But what, Jace?”

            “I- I can’t feel him, it’s like… like he isn’t here, if that makes sense,” Jace answered.  His expression was lost, as if he weren’t sure how to be anymore.  Magnus felt something drop in his stomach, understanding dawning, along with a desperate hope that he was incorrect.

            “It does, and I very sincerely hope I’m wrong.  We need to go.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to track his bow.”

            Jace looked up.  When his eyes met Magnus’s, they met the golden slits of cat’s eyes.

***

            Alec woke slowly, his eyes fluttering.  The smell of sulfur and ozone surrounded his nose.  His head was pounding, as though someone was playing drums in his temples.  He sat up slowly, eyes widening as he looked around.  He was in a small, dark room.  The floor was rough beneath him, some kind of sandy gravel.  There was a single window, and through it Alec could see red skies and clouds of dust.

            “Where the hell am I?” he whispered to himself.

            “Ah,” he heard from somewhere behind him.  He whipped around and saw as Azazel seemed to materialize from the shadows.  “But that’s exactly where you are, Shadowhunter.”

            Alec said nothing, staring at the greater demon and waiting for him to finish playing his games.

            “Hell,” Azazel said after a moment.  “Edom, to be exact.”  His smile was crooked, Alec noticed.  “Let me be the first to welcome you to hell.”

            “A bit stuffy, don’t you think?” Alec asked.

            “Now that’s just rude.  Didn’t anyone ever teach you to be respectful of your hosts?” a new voice asked.  This voice was different.  It didn’t sound as though someone had spoken, but rather that the voice had emanated from a source of deep power.  A new figure appeared in front of him.  This man was bigger than Azazel, taller, but it was clear he wasn’t a man.  His outline was blurred slightly around the edges, like static on a television.

            “I don’t think rules of etiquette apply when you’re in a dimension of hell,” Alec replied, a bite to his voice.

            The man laughed and Alec could feel the air vibrate with the depth of it.  “I suppose, Alexander Lightwood.  Allow me to introduce myself.  I am Asmodeus, ruler of this realm.”

            “Why am I here?”

            Asmodeus smiled, and Alec thought he’d never seen anything quite so wicked.  “Ah, so he hasn’t told you yet?”

            “Stop playing games.  Who hasn’t told me what?”

            “I believe you know my son.  Magnus Bane.”

***

            Tracking Alec’s bow had led them to an alley in Queens.  Magnus and Jace moved slowly, eyes searching for any potential danger or sign of Alec.

            “Found my phone,” Jace called from the end of the alley, where he’d crouched down next to a dumpster to investigate.

            Magnus looked around, eyes catching on something that had fallen slightly underneath the dumpster.  He crouched down and pulled out the bow.  It was scraped where it had skidded across the pavement.  His eyes met Jace’s.

            “What happened here?” Jace asked, mostly to himself as he surveyed the area.  His eyes caught on the wall of the building behind Magnus.  His stomach lurched.

            Magnus turned, looking for whatever had caught Jace’s attention.  When he saw it, his heart stopped yet again.  There was a spot of now dried blood on the brick wall.  He stepped forward slowly, fingers brushing against the rough brick.

            “Do you smell that?” Jace asked suddenly.

            “Jace, now is hardly the time to be debating the smells of New York.”

            “No, wait.  It’s not normal.  It’s like...ozone or something.”

            Magnus’s head snapped up.  He hadn’t been paying attention to the scent, far too familiar with the strange smells of New York City.  But Jace was right, this smell was not a normal New York scent.  He’d come to associate the smell of ozone with very unfortunate circumstances.  In his experience, nothing good happened when the smell of ozone filled his nostrils.

            “I know where he is,” Magnus said, his voice hard.  Jace raised an eyebrow.  “It isn’t good.”

            “Where is he, Magnus?  Where’s my brother?”

            Magnus met Jace’s eyes.  His cat’s eyes were filled with a mixture of fear and determination.  “He’s in hell, Edom if you want to be exact about it.”

            Jace’s eyes widened.  “How...how do we get him back?”

            Magnus looked down and sighed.  “There’s no choice but to follow him and whoever took him there.  I have a suspicion who it was.”

            “Who, Magnus?”

            Magnus looked back up, his eyes staring almost defiantly back at Jace.  “My father.  Although, I would imagine he himself didn’t come to do the dirty work.  He probably sent someone, Azazel maybe.”

            “Your father?”

            “Asmodeus is my father.  He rules Edom.”

            Jace blinked.  “So does that mean…?”

            “That I’m a prince of hell?  Technically.  Though I don’t think my father would be privy to sharing the throne with me or any of his children.  There’s not many of us that he’s allowed to live quite as long as I have.”

            “Okay,” Jace said after a moment.  “So what do we do now?”

            “Not we.”  
            “What?”

            Magnus sighed.  “Jace, Edom is too dangerous.  Even if I go in there, there’s no guarantee Alec and I will make it out, together or otherwise.  I’m not taking you in there with me.”

            “Magnus, he’s my parabatai.  I’m not letting you go without me,” Jace argued.

            “Jace, you don’t understand.  My father is not a generous or forgiving man.  The very fact that he took Alec tells me that he wants something from me.  And when my father wants something, it rarely ends well.  I don’t care what my father does to me if it means Alec is safe.”  Magnus paused and took a breath.  “I promise you that I will do everything I can to keep him safe.  Do you trust me?”

            Jace was silent for moment.  Finally he nodded.

            Magnus turned and pulled out his phone, calling Catarina.  He quickly filled her in on the situation.  From what little Jace could hear, she sounded hesitant, but it sounded as though she was agreeing to help.  Magnus ended the call and turned back to Jace.

            “Cat is going to help me portal into Edom,” he said, opening a portal to her apartment.

            “Magnus,” Jace said before he stepped through the portal.  “Bring my brother home.  Please.”

            “Believe me, Jace.  I would burn down entire worlds to bring Alec home safely.”

***

            “Are you sure about this Magnus?  Your father--”  
            “I appreciate the concern, Cat, I do.  But I’m going after him.  I can’t leave Alexander there for him to torment,” Magnus interrupted, his voice sure.

            Cat watched him for a moment and nodded.  “I hope this Shadowhunter is worth it, Magnus.”

            “He is.  I know without a doubt that he would come after me if the situation were reversed.”

            Cat smiled sadly.  “Then I truly hope you are able to save him, Magnus.  But promise me you’ll be careful.  Promise me you’ll come back.  Don’t let your father win.”

            Magnus returned her smile.  “I’ll try not my best, dear.”

            Cat sighed.  “I suppose that’ll have to do.”  And with that, she and Magnus combined their magic, creating a portal black as ash.  A distinct smell of ozone filled her apartment.

            Cat wrinkled her nose.  “You’re going to owe me for how long it’s going to take to get this smell out of here.”

            Magnus laughed.  “Now I have to make it back out, I suppose.”

            “You’d better.  I already lost Ragnor.  I can’t lose you as well.” 

Magnus pulled her into a tight hug.  “I’ll come back, I promise.  And if I don’t, know I fought like hell.”

Catarina kissed his cheek as she pulled away.  “Go save your Alexander.”

Magnus smiled at her and disappeared through the portal.

***

            Edom was just as Magnus remembered it.  The smell of sulfur assaulted his nose in the blazing, dry heat.  He’d portalled into what seemed like a field.  It was empty except for some smouldering rocks and the hazy dust that seemed suspended in the thick air.  He hadn’t taken more than two steps when a figure appeared in front of him, materializing from nothing.

            “Magnus Bane.  Your father was beginning to think you weren’t going to accept his invitation.”  Azazel stood before him, eyes practically burning with glee.

            Magnus’s hand clenched into a fist at the mere suggestion of Alec being used as bait.  Of course, he knew that’s what his father had been doing, but he hadn’t had a proper moment to truly process it yet.  “Where is Alec?”

            “Straight to the point.  I like that about you, Bane,” Azazel smirked.  “Follow me.”  The greater demon turned and began walking.  Magnus followed after him, eyeing his surroundings for some sort of trap.

            After a few minutes, they had reached what looked like a small building.  It had a single window.  A cell, Magnus realized, and he felt sparks of magic pricking around his fingers in his anger.

            “The Shadowhunter boy is in there.  You’re father will be here shortly.  You’re welcome to wait inside, if you’d like.”

            “How generous,” Magnus muttered, already moving to the door.

            The inside of the small building was dark and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust.  There was Alec, curled up in the farthest corner, his eyes pressed shut as though in pain.

            “Alexander?” he whispered.

            Alec’s eyes snapped open and stared at Magnus.  “Magnus?”  His voice was gravelly.  “Are you really here?”

            Magnus crossed the space between them and knelt down, raising a hand to cup Alec’s cheek.  “Yes, angel, it’s me.”

            Tears shined in Alec’s eyes.  “You came for me?”

            Magnus breathed a laugh.  “Of course I did, Alexander.”  Alec smiled weakly at him.  “Are you hurt?” Magnus asked.

            “I hit my head when I was fighting Azazel, but I’m okay.”  Alec stared at him for moment, as though he weren’t convinced Magnus was real.  “I can’t believe you’re really here,” he said after a moment.

            “Well, we do always seem to find our way back to each other,” he answered, echoing Alec’s words from weeks before.  Alec breathed a laugh and threw his arms around Magnus’s neck, burying his face in his shoulder.  Magnus held him tightly, just breathing in his scent, so relieved to have his love back in his arms.

            “Well, isn’t this touching,” said a voice behind them.  Alec jerked away from Magnus, staring at the man behind them.  Magnus turned, keeping an arm around Alec’s waist, not ready to let him go just yet.

            “Father,” he said, not attempting to hide the pure resentment in his voice.

            “It’s been ages since you’ve visited, son.  Welcome home,” Asmodeus said with a wicked grin.

            “This is not my home, nor will it ever be.”

            “Ever the rebellious child, I see.  That’s why I had to make my invitation clear, you see,” he said looking directly at Alec.  Alec sat up straighter and stared defiantly at Asmodeus.  Magnus felt a surge of pride for his Shadowhunter.

            “What do you want from me this time, Father?” Magnus asked, hoping to keep his father’s attentions off of Alec.

            “I want what I’ve always wanted.  You should know by now, that won’t change until I get what I want.”

            “And how many times do I have to tell you, I’m not going to give it to you.”

            “Magnus?” Alec said quietly.  “What does he want?”

            Magnus gently squeezed Alec’s shoulder.  “He wants me to join him here.  Or, rather, he wants to take my immortality away, and have my soul trapped here with him forever.”  Alec’s eyes widened.

            “That’s--”  
            “Ridiculous and asking too much, I agree,” Magnus said, meeting his father’s gaze.

            “Ah, but you see, son.  You’re forgetting.  I have leverage this time.”  Asmodeus’s gaze fell on Alec.  There was silence for a moment as the weight of the situation fell on them.

            “What exactly do you want?” Magnus asked through gritted teeth.

            Asmodeus smirked.  “I want for you to join me, just as you told Alexander there.”

            “Don’t you dare say his name,” Magnus said, something incredibly dark and angry in his voice.

            “Is that any way to speak to your father?  Now where was I?  Oh, yes.  If you agree to join me, I’ll allow your newest _pet_ to return home.  If not, well…”  Asmodeus trailed off with a wink.  “Please, think it over.  I’ll give you a moment to decide.”

            “Magnus,” Alec said, drawing his attention.  “You can’t.”

            “Alexander--”  
            “No, listen to me.  You cannot give him what he wants.  I don’t care what happens to me, but I will not allow you to give up your life for me.  I am not going home without you.”  Alec’s eyes were as determined and sure as his voice.  Magnus felt tears threatening to spill across his cheeks.

            He raised his hand to cup Alec’s cheek.  “Alexander, I can’t lose you,” he whispered.  He didn’t trust his voice to speak any louder.  “I can’t sit here and watch my father take away the one truly good thing I’ve ever experienced.  You are the light in four hundred years of darkness, as cliched as that is, Alexander.  I can’t lose that.”

            “But you can die instead?  Magnus, you don’t get it.  I might not have lived as long as you have, might not have experienced as much suffering.  But all those things you just said I am for you, you’re that for me.  You’re it.  There’s never gonna be anyone or anything else that could ever compare to you.  I can’t lose you any more than you can lose me.”  Alec surged forward and caught Magnus’s lips.  The kiss was slow, just as the kiss that morning before Alec had left for his “mission,” as though they were trying to prolong the end of the world.  Magnus’s lips tasted of ash and salt, but Alec couldn’t have cared less.  “I love you,” he said as he pulled away.  “I am not going to let you do this.  I’m not going to let you sacrifice yourself.”

            “This is all very tender and heartwarming.”

            Magnus turned and glared at his father.  He opened his mouth to retort but Asmodeus held up his hand.

            “Allow me to finish before you rudely interrupt.  This has given me some thought.  There’s nothing I love more than suffering, as I’m sure you know by now, son.  And you know how I loathe taking unwilling souls.”  
            “How inconvenient that must be,” Alec muttered.

            “Quite,” Asmodeus agreed with another wicked smile.  “Which is why I’m going to propose a different deal.”

            “I’m listening,” Magnus said impatiently.

            “I see the way the two of you love each other.  Disgusting, if you ask me.  But I see the pain his eventual death is going to cause you.  And he will die, as all mortals do.  I imagine you’ll be quite desolate.”  
            “Where, exactly, is this going, Father?”

            Asmodeus glared darkly for a moment before continuing.  “I propose that if you agree to join me here once your darling Alexander has died, I will allow you both to return home, unharmed.”

            Magnus blinked.  “Pardon me for being prone to believe the worst of you, Father, but is this some sort of trick?”

            Asmodeus laughed.  “Not a trick, son.  I’ll even sign a contract, if you’d like.”

            “I would.  Very much.”

            Alec watched as Asmodeus summoned a piece of parchment and a quill.  He wrote the terms of the deal just as he had explained them and signed.  He handed the paper and quill to Magnus.  Magnus met his eyes for a moment, but Alec couldn’t read them.  Then he signed the contract and handed it back to his father.

            “Pleasure doing business with you,” Asmodeus said with a grin.  “I’ll see you soon, son.”  With that, he vanished into the shadows.

            Magnus stood and reached down a hand for Alec.  “Let’s go home.”

***

            Later that night, after Jace had come to the loft to see for himself that his parabatai was home and safe and Catarina had been called, Alec and Magnus lay holding each other on the sofa.  Magnus had his head on Alec’s chest, listening to his heartbeat, content to lay there forever.

            “Thank you,” Alec said after a while.

            “For what?”

            “Coming to save me, for considering sacrificing yourself to do so.  Although, if you had, I don’t think I ever could have forgiven you.”

            “Nor I you, if you’d stopped me from doing just that.”

            Alec sat up, pulling Magnus with him.  “Magnus, I’m serious.  If you had…”  He trailed off, tears threatening to spill.

            “I know, darling.  I couldn’t let my father hurt you,” Magnus said, tears coming to his own eyes.  “If anything happened to you, Alexander, I don’t think I could go on.”

            “Magnus, I meant it when I told you I don’t think I can live without you.  When we were fighting it was one thing because at least I knew you were okay.  But if you were just gone--” Alec broke off with a sob.

            “Darling, shh.  I’m here, I’m not going anywhere.  And neither are you.  We’re both here, we’re safe.”

            “But--but one day, when I’m gone, he’s going to win.”  Alec wiped a stray tear from Magnus’s cheek.  “Why did you sign the contract, you didn’t even hesitate.”

            Magnus laughed.

            “What?  What’s so funny?”

            “The contract says that I have to join my father once you are dead,” Magnus said.

            “Right.”  
            “Because my father is assuming that you are mortal.”

            “That’s because I am mortal, Magnus.”  Alec frowned in confusion.

            “But what if you weren’t anymore?  Hypothetically, of course.”

            “What?” Alec asked, blinking in surprise.

            Magnus sighed.  “I was going to wait until Christmas.”  He snapped his fingers and a red envelope appeared in his hands.  “Open it,” he said, handing the envelope to Alec.

            Alec slid out a piece of parchment and read, his eyes widening as he began to understand.  “Is this…?”

            “A spell that can make you immortal, like me.  Only if you want it, Alexander.  I don’t want to do anything unless you are absolutely sure this is something you want,” Magnus said, beginning to ramble in his nerves.

            “Magnus,” Alec interrupted.  “I want this.”

            “Are you sure?  Immortality is not an easy thing, Alexander.”

            “I know.  I also know that I love you, and eternity with you wouldn’t be nearly long enough.  I want this,” Alec said, his voice full of determination and love.

            Magnus surged forward and kissed him.  “Merry Christmas, Alexander,” he whispered against his lips when they finally pulled apart.

            “Merry Christmas, Magnus.”


End file.
